by Sarah Shaffi

sshaffi@thekmgroup.co.uk

Neighbours have told how they tried to put out a fire which destroyed a flat after hearing the screams of children.

The blaze broke out in the front room of the flat in Jutland Close, Allhallows, on Wednesday night.

It quickly spread, destroying the home and damaging other parts of the building, which is owned by mhs homes.

A family of four, a couple and two young girls, lived in the flat where the fire began.

Robert Hetherington, 56, who lives next door, said: “It’s just a blur. There was banging on my door and when I opened the door, the flames came in.

“I went in two or three times to see if everyone was out. I tried to put water on it with a pan, but it didn’t work. They had to put me on oxygen in the ambulance for about an hour and a half.

“My flat is just black all over. Everything’s been ruined – clothes, furniture, carpets. I’ve got nowhere else to stay. I haven’t even got any clothes.”

Another man, who tried to get into the flat to put the blaze out, but did not want to be named, said: “I leaned out of the window and a young child, about 13, went past screaming and screaming.

“She told me the flat was on fire and when I looked out I could see flames.”

Neighbour Raymond Harvey, 72, said: “There are two girls, young ones, and I could hear them screaming. It was terrible.”

Fire crews from Strood, Medway, Cliffe, Hoo and Thames-side stations tackled the blaze. The Red Cross also attended to help the five families who had to get out of the flats.

It is thought the fire broke out because of an electrical fault in an overloaded plug socket. A spokesman for Kent Fire and Rescue Service said: “The windows were blown out and the roof has been destroyed. We spent about four hours at the scene putting out the flames.

“The other flats have also been affected by smoke and water damage and probably can’t be lived in.

“We would remind people not to overload power sockets and leave electrical appliances unattended.”